Whitney Wells launched her apparel company, Read It T Ministry, in 2016 as a way to inspire and make art feel more accessible to others. Photo courtesy Whitney Wells

​Whitney Wells aspires to make art more accessible and collaborative through her Christian-based, Afro-centric apparel shop, Read It T Ministry.

Photo courtesy Whitney Wells

​Prior to starting the business, Wells painted T-shirts with fabric paint as a hobby. Over time, family and friends who admired her creativity began to inquire about purchasing her custom-made shirts. In 2016, she launched Read It T Ministry.

"I (wanted to) create a business that represented myself. I wanted to do something that I was interested in," she says.

Although Wells is the sole operator of the company, she often partners up with her husband, Terrence, who is a graphic designer, photographer and poet. He provides some of the Africa-inspired artwork that customers will find on Read It T Ministry clothing.

The business sells youth- and adult-sized T-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts, as well as accessories such as snapback caps, necklaces, bracelets and boots. She also offers wholesale and custom orders for special events.

Photo courtesy Whitney Wells

The company's name comes from her response when others would ask her about the connection between the artwork and the scriptural references on her apparel, she says. She would tell them to read the Bible verse and see what the artistic interpretation of the scripture meant to them.

Wells, who is a member of Shady Grove Missionary Baptist Church, says in the past, some of her peers have pressured her to remove the word "ministry" to shorten her business name. She decided to keep it anyway, wanting to remain true to her reason for creating Read It T Ministry.

"It's a business, but it's my ministry," she says. "I want whatever I'm doing to be about my love for Christ."

While Wells says that she has never seen herself as artistic, she has always been creative. Her business, which also includes a blog element, provides an opportunity to make art feel more open to her customers, she says.

"I (thought) it would be fun to make art easily accessible," she says. "Some people can't afford to buy a huge canvas, and so this is something where a lot more people have more access to art and feel like they're a part of it."

Before launching Read It T Ministry, Wells attended the University of Mississippi, where she received a bachelor's degree in biology in 2010, and obtained a master's degree in environmental science from Jackson State University in 2015.

Photo courtesy Whitney Wells

For the past three years, she has worked as an environmental scientist for the state of North Dakota, testing water quality. Her position also means that she splits her time between North Dakota and Mississippi.

Despite her scientific full-time gig, she hopes to one day focus solely on Read It T Ministry to ensure its longevity not just as a business but as a source of inspiration.

"I want people to buy it because they're inspired by it and wear it years (from now) because they're still inspired by it," Wells says.

For more information, visit readittministry.com or find Read It T Ministry on Facebook and Instagram.